Review Centre: Wedding Bands

"March 26, 2017 Last night (March 25, 2017) the legendary Presley & Cash Highway Road Show pulled into Windsor for a night of fun, frolics and fundraising through the experience and dedication of two skilled local tribute artists. Paying Cash – The Johnny Cash Show and a Elvis brought the music of Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley to the Olde Walkerville Theatre for a fundraising event for the Miracle League of Amherstburg. The show began with Harrow, Ontario tribute artist who brought the post-war Elvis to life in a vibrant and highly entertaining set. The music selection was unique, as was his leg-shaking performance. This was a true tribute and not really an over-the-top impersonation as we so often see. There were no jumpsuits, no giant belts and no overweight wig-wearing phonies – this was the cool suit-jacket wearing Elvis that the world loved in 1956 and 1957. He had enough looks and moves to pull it off and present a believable reproduction of the way Elvis moved, sang and even interacted at the peak of his musical return. The song selection resembled the King’s 1957 performance at the PNE in Vancouver with such non-traditional tracks like Blueberry Hill, That’s When Your Heartaches Begin and Peace in the Valley. In many ways the lead singer reminded me of an early Michael Buble, with just enough Elvis in the mix to make it plausible and entertaining, but also enough of himself to keep it fresh and lively. He nailed Elvis’ voice from the early years, as well as the swagger and personality we would expect in an early Elvis tribute. The Silvertones mastered the musical presentation and were the perfect band to backup the energetic Elvis show. After a lengthy set, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of incredible music could bring to the table if he decided to record some original music. It took a leap of faith to bring Buble his first recording contract, let’s hope someone does the same for him. Headliners Paying Cash captured the essence of 1968 Johnny Cash in both attitude and skill, pairing perfectly with 57-58 Elvis – these were the “attitude” years for both superstars, and although a decade apart, they seemed musically aligned at these specific intervals. The lead singers 12-year old daughter joined him on stage for three June Carter duets, and later when he acoustically took on Cash’s death-bed hit Hurt with guitar and piano accompaniment. The singer looked exactly like Cash at various times when he was at the mic, but he was always perfect when it came to the movements and nuances that Cash had on stage. You could actually see the fire in his eyes during such attitude anthems as Cocaine Blues, Folsom Prison Blues and Cry, Cry, Cry. That fire and his voice were right on par with Joaquin Phoenix’s movie adaptation of Cash, The band itself was so close to the original backup band that they should change their name to The Windsor Three. The guitarist handled the lead guitar as if he invented those licks himself, bassist injected some humour when he wasn’t playing his stand-up bass and drummer provided a solid drum beat throughout. The only thing missing was that they weren’t dressed in full black suits like The Tennesee Three probably would have been.The superstar of the show was his daughter, who charmed the audience with her stunning voice and light-hearted personality – a combination that played out in a fun and charming take on June Carter Cash for three songs, including the infamous relationship-song Jackson. Her personality and voice matched well with her fathers and the duets were a standout moment, much as they were in the movie Walk The Line. Paying Cash is a well put together band that captures the young and rebellious Johnny Cash like none other. This was the era of Johnny Cash that fans love the most and rarely get to see on its own in a tribute show. Should The lead singer and Paying Cash ever decide to hit the studio, I wouldn’t be surprised if the results sounded much like early Blue Rodeo, mixed with some good old Johnny Cash.If these two bands do play together again, the Presley-Cash combination is a sure fire knock-out not to be missed."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you to Joe and the band for making our evening so special! Honestly couldn’t have wished for a better wedding band! Forever grateful!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I highly recommend the Blue Moon Jazz Band. We booked them during the pandemic and had to move our date – Raphael was so accommodating and understanding which made it very easy. On the day the band played at our ceremony, apperitivo and dinner. Raphael had reached out to me to ask about our preferred songs and they were all played perfectly on the day. He even was able to make some fantastic suggestions when we weren’t sure what to go for. All our guests also loved the band and we received so many comments on how lovely an atmosphere they managed to create. THANK YOU Blue Moon Jazz band! You really made a huge difference to our wedding day and I am so glad we had you there."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We arranged for Alkka and Chris to perform at a surprise 70th birthday event. The birthday boy could not have been more impressed! His daughter described the day as "absolutely magical". Need we say more? We can't recommend highly enough."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"WOW excellent band we really enjoyed seeing them play at our venue. Great set up. Lovely guys who interacted with our guests played great music also played requests. Will definitely have them back again very soon."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We had Kanela over for a private Hotel event it her show was really cool and the people really liked it and she got everybody dancing. 10/10"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We cannot say enough about this band!!! None of our guests wanted them to stop and they have continuously reached out to us talking about how great Le'Mixx was at our wedding. Le'Mixx got everyone up and dancing the entire time! The band manager and lead guitarist, Myke, was awesome to work with, stayed in touch the whole time, and made the night run so smoothly. All the members of Le'Mixx are extremely talented and kept the night grooving! (bride-Wedding: 07/31/2020 The Knot)"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thanks for last night guys, you nailed it. Jack and all his mates loved your music and the 21st party wouldn't have been the same without you!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I like your Band. Good Vibes and makes for a great atmosphere for folks to enjoy. I wish you were based in the United States. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"André was the musician for our Roof Top Wedding in October 2023. The experience with him was amazing. His music, involvement and overall feel for what we wanted was 100% on par and even exceeded our expectations. His music and singing was beautiful, classy and he created a memorable atmosphere. High recommendation from us. Gosha and Wessel "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Dance till you drop band with professionalism! I would recommend it again and again and again!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We held a private party with friends and family where we wanted some acoustic music along with some piano songs, and Jahangir was a perfect match. He played songs that we all knew and loved and we were very happy by his performance!"

Rating: 9 / 10 Share this review:

"A fantastic and talented group of guys! They had everyone up on the dance floor and were an absolute pleasure to have. I would highly recommend."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Massive thank you to Betty Boom for making our birthday party truly unforgettable, they were absolutely incredible. They totally made the night bringing a lively set with a great selection of songs all played perfectly. What they do is real entertainment on a high level. Our guests loved them and we've had so much positive feedback. Can't wait to see them again!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"David Hitchen's jazz trio played for my daughter's wedding. They played such lovely music, and even played some requests including `La Vie en Rose' and What a Wonderful World. They played some Latin Jazz Music, too which was awesome. We have booked them again for Summer this year. Can't wait! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: